


Knots on a Rope

by ThegoodshipRickyl



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Carl is a Little Shit, Daryl is awkward, Domestic Rickyl, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-05-29 11:31:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6373057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThegoodshipRickyl/pseuds/ThegoodshipRickyl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick never knew that an uneventful night in with his family could mean so much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Knots on a Rope

Rick and the kids get home around four o'clock, Carl heading straight for the kitchen while Rick helps Judith hang up her backpack and take off her shoes. Carl is already heating up some leftover pizza and looking down at his phone, grinning. Rick slumps into a seat at the kitchen table, bending down to pull his boots off as Judith watches from across the table, her chin in her hands.

 

"Daddy, does Carl have a girlfriend?" she asks, tilting her head.

 

Carl scoffs and shoves his phone in his pocket. " _Can it_ , Judy," he hisses, a faint blush rising to his cheeks.

 

Rick looks at him, eyebrows raised. "I don't know, Judy. Looks like it."

 

"I do _not_. She's just this girl from school. We play the same games, okay?"

 

"Uh huh," Rick drawls. "Does Sophia know about her?"

 

"Sophia's cool with her. So's Patrick."

 

"What's her name?" Judith pipes up.

 

The microwave dings and Carl gets his pizza out. "Enid," he tells her, pulling out a chair beside her.

 

"Is she gonna start coming over all the time like Daryl does?"

 

Rick feels himself blush and shoots Carl a dirty look as he's trying to hold back his laughter. Rick turns back to Judith, who is looking innocent and a little confused. "Speaking of, guess who's joining us for dinner tonight?" he asks her, leaning in a little.

 

"Daryl!" she yells, slapping her hands onto the table.

 

"Do I have to be there for that?" Carl asks wryly. "You guys are _gross_."

 

"Daryl's not gross," Judith pouts. "I like him. He smells like dirt, like from the garden."

 

Rick laughs and smooths back her hair to kiss her forehead. "I like the way he smells too." He gets up and starts for his room. "Oh, by the way, Judith," he says, stopping at the beginning of the hallway, "Speaking of dirt and gardens, I'm gonna be heading out there for a couple hours before dinner. I could use an assistant...."

 

Judith bounces up immediately, dashing to her room to fetch her boots while Rick gets some more suitable clothes to wear for gardening. He shuts the door and quickly peels off his uniform to slip into an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Judith is waiting for him by the back door when he gets there, lifting his gardening boots up for him and running outside while he puts them on. Rick pauses at the door, looking back at Carl, who is taking his after-school meal back to his room.

 

"Hey, hold up," Rick says gently, getting him to stop just before he disappears into the hallway.

 

"Yeah, Dad?"

 

"You wanna join us? After you're done eating, maybe?"

 

Carl shrugs. "I kinda promised my friends I'd get a couple hours of _Wasteland Wars_ in before dinner."

 

"Is that the one with the uh... zombies?" Rick asks, cocking his head.

 

Carl rolls his eyes. "No. Shape-shifters. It _is_ post-apocalypse, though," he concedes.

 

"Oh." Rick nods vaguely, kicking his boot against the table leg, awkward. "Well, if you change your mind, we'll be right out here."

 

"Sure, Dad," Carl says, glancing down the hallway.

 

Rick lets him go and waits in the doorway a few more moments, feeling Judith tugging on his shirt.

 

"Come _on_ , Daddy. There's _weeds_."

 

Rick sighs and chuckles wryly. "Someone loves me," he mutters to himself, following Judith to the garden.

 

******

 

In the course of an hour and a half of gardening, Judith manages to get dirt smeared over nearly her whole body, and Rick spends most of his time keeping her from running off and getting into things. They do end up getting a decent amount of work done, weeding the vegetable garden and deadheading the flowers out front. Rick trims the holly bushes himself, not wanting Judith to hurt herself on the spiky leaves, so she elects to spend that time flipping over rocks and looking for garter snakes and roly-polies to add to her collection. Rick had found an old fish tank for her at a garage sale, set it up with some soil and dead leaves and a little water dish, and let her put various bugs in it, feeding them with scraps from the garden.

 

"Daddy!" she exclaims as he's on his knees, reaching behind the bushes to free one of the kids' long-missing soccer balls. When he rocks back onto his heels, he's startled to find himself face to face with a tiny baby garter snake, coiled around her fingers as she holds it up proudly.

 

"Can I keep this one? It's _little_!"

 

Rick gently pushes her hand away, tossing the soccer ball out onto the lawn. "It's little _now_ ," he tells her. "But they get bigger. And they need food and warmth to grow."

 

Judith's eyebrows furrow and she lets the snake uncoil in the palm of her hand. "What do they eat?"

 

"That I do not know," he admits. "Maybe Daryl does, though. You can ask him later, how about that?"

 

"Okay!" she says brightly.

 

"Just stick to bugs for now, okay honey?" he advises gently. "Maybe we can check out PetSmart some time. Get actual supplies for it."

 

"Okay! I'll go put it back," she says, running over to where she found the tiny reptile.

 

Rick smiles and shakes his head, going back to trimming the bushes while keeping an eye on Judith as she continues to play in the dirt, hoping she doesn't encounter anything more fearsome than that snake. He checks his watch, seeing that it's fifteen til seven, the hour he told Daryl to come by. He finishes up the last holly bush before calling to Judith to come inside with him. She shows him her haul of roly-polies, crickets, and - her proudest find - a millipede. Rick laughs and lets her go dump them in her tank with the others before getting a bath started for her and helping her pick out some new clothes. While she's in the bath he checks in on Carl, who is so engrossed in his game that Rick has to rap on the door with his knuckles to get his attention.

 

"I'm starting dinner," he tells him. "I could use help setting the table? Daryl'll be here in about ten minutes."

 

"I'll be there in a sec," Carl replies. He quickly types something into his computer. "I just gotta let everyone know."

 

Rick nods and leaves the room, heading to the kitchen where he takes his boots off and goes to set them by the door, before he notices just how badly they smell and leaves them outside on the back porch instead. He washes his hands and starts getting out all the pots, pans, and utensils he'll need to make lasagna from scratch. Carl shows up a minute later, pulling plates and glasses out of the cabinets to set the table. He's just finishing up when there's a quiet knock on the door, and Rick hands off his spoon to Carl, letting him take over stirring the noodles while he practically runs to answer it.

 

Daryl is waiting with a store-bought apple pie in his hands when Rick opens the door, and he smiles shyly, ducking his head before Rick pulls him in for a quick hug and kiss.

 

"I'm sorry," he says as he pulls back. "We just started dinner, it's gonna be a little while. I lost track of time outside."

 

Daryl shrugs, stepping through the doorway and heading for the kitchen. "That's alright," he mutters as Rick follows him. "I can make it. Oh, and I, uh, brought you guys this," he adds, holding up the pie sheepishly. "I don't know what you're making, but hopefully it's not too weird for having pie afterwards."

 

"It's White People Lasagna!" Carl calls out from his post at the stove. "Hey, Daryl," he adds brightly when he sees Daryl come into the kitchen.

 

Daryl sets the pie down before standing next to Carl and looking in on the sauce in the pan. "White People Lasagna?"

 

"No flavor," Carl clarifies. "Like how the Irish do it."

 

Rick rolls his eyes and takes over the stirring. "It'll have _flavor_ ," he insists, shooing Carl away. "Go check on your sister."

 

Carl snorts a laugh, muttering "Yeah right," under his breath as he leaves.

 

Daryl bumps his shoulder against Rick's. "I'm part Italian, if that helps."

 

Rick lets out a deep breath. "I need all the help I can get here," he admits, leaving Daryl to stir while he gets the sauce started.

 

"Busy day?"

 

"Uh, not really, actually. Just got busy a few minutes ago."

 

"Oh. Sorry," Daryl murmurs. "Should've been fashionably late, huh?"

 

Rick pauses to press a quick kiss into Daryl's temple. "You're perfect."

 

Daryl shrugs him off, blushing. "Quit. Gotta concentrate."

 

"Oh, really?" Rick says, tugging him closer by one of his belt loops to kiss at the spot below his ear.

 

They are interrupted by the clearing of a throat coming from the kitchen table, where Carl has Judith ready and seated, her hair brushed and everything. Carl is rolling his eyes and miming gagging, getting Judith to copy him as he lays out the utensils and napkins.

 

"Knock it off, you guys," Rick says as he shoots Daryl an apologetic half-smile. He gets the glass baking dish out and starts layering the noodles with the sauce and cheese and meat before putting it all in the oven.

 

"Another half hour, guys," he says.

 

Carl groans. "What are we gonna do 'til _then_?"

 

Rick checks his watch. "Seven oh eight," he says. "You wanna find something on TV while we wait?"

 

"I'm sure she'll wanna watch _Spongebob_ or something," Carl says, taking Judith to the living room.

 

Rick again gives Daryl a rueful look. Daryl just smirks in return, grabbing Rick's shoulder before following Carl out of the kitchen.

 

Carl is already finished flipping through the TV guide, and he tosses it at Rick as he and Daryl sit down on the sofa. "There's nothing but _Wheel of Fortune_ on right now."

 

"Well that's fine, then," Rick says, looking to Daryl, who shrugs.

 

"Your favorite movie is on Channel 8 later, though," Carl continues, his tone teasing as he leans back in the recliner that he is sharing with Judith.

 

Daryl pokes at Rick's leg with his toes. "What movie would that be?" he asks, his eyes lighting up.

 

Rick sets his shoulders and pushes out his chest a little. "It's _Steel Magnolias_ , okay?" he says, a touch defensive, flinging the TV Guide onto the coffee table. "And I have it on DVD anyway, so I don't have to sit through the commercials."

 

Carl snorts. "Yeah, gotta avoid all those ads for Macy's and house cleaning _shit_."

 

"Ummm, Daddy! Carl said a cuss word!" cries Judith, wriggling free from where she was squished next to her brother to run over to Rick and sit next to him instead, hiding under his arm where it is thrown over the back of the couch.

 

"I heard him, Judy," he reassures her, carding his fingers through her hair, brushing it away from her face. "He'll make up for it by doing the dishes tonight, 'kay?"

 

Judy wiggles excitedly. "Ooh, can I help?"

 

Rick rubs at his face, exasperated, while Daryl holds up a hand in question. "I'm missin' something," he says. " _What_ is so bad about liking that movie?"

 

"It's a total chick flick, man!" Carl exclaims. "Like for middle-aged moms to have on in the background at their knitting circles."

 

Daryl holds up his hands. "I didn't know. Never saw it."

 

Rick slowly brings his hand down to uncover his eyes, staring at Daryl in disbelief. "What?"

 

"Well, hell, it's not exactly the kind of shit Merle or my old man would put on," he points out.

 

Rick is still gaping at him even as Judith is pulling on his shirt and whispering, "Daddy, can Daryl say that word?"

 

Carl, meanwhile, is struggling to contain his laughter. "I can't believe Dad hasn't made you watch that yet," he drawls.

 

Rick blushes faintly. "I wasn't sure he would like it, is all."

 

Daryl scoffs. "Why wouldn't I? It's your favorite."

 

Carl groans dramatically, sliding down in his chair until Rick can barely see him over the armrest. Daryl is blushing, playing with a hole in his sleeve. Rick sighs and puts him arm around him, tugging him closer to whisper in his ear, "Wanna stick around after dinner, then?"

 

Daryl ducks his head but Rick catches a glimpse of a shy smile, and his stomach swoops a little when Daryl nods, worrying his lip between his teeth.

 

"Guys," comes Carl's voice from across the room, "show's back on. We gotta guess the answers before these Jeopardy rejects do!"

 

Daryl chuckles, and they settle in to watch the _Wheel_ , Rick curled up against Daryl with Judith curled up against him, Carl rolling his eyes every time he glances their way. Rick takes a deep, slow breath and smiles a little to himself, thinking how it could always be this way.

 

******

 

Everyone's plates are nearly empty by eight, and Rick feels fairly proud of how well his cooking went over, even if Carl did give him a mock pained look when he took his first bite. Daryl's pie has been cut up and portioned out, and they're all digging in when Judith suddenly perks up, looking at Daryl as if he had just arrived.

 

"Daryl!" she exclaims. "Do you know what snakes eat?"

 

Daryl chokes down his bite of pie, startled, and Rick gives him an apologetic, amused grin. "Uh, what kind of snake?" he replies, a little groggy before he clears his throat again.

 

"A garter snake," Rick says, reaching over to pat his back lightly.

 

After one last clearing cough and a sip of water he says, "Worms, bugs. Sh-... I mean, _stuff_ like that."

 

Judith frowns. "So I can't put one in with all my bugs, can I?" she says. "It'll eat 'em?"

 

"Well you'll have to put bugs in for it eventually," Daryl says, shrugging. "Else it'll go hungry."

 

Judith plays with her pie dejectedly, twirling her fork in the whipped cream before pushing it down and leaving stripes in it. "I don't think I want one then," she says quietly.

 

Rick lays his fork down and looks at her thoughtfully. "You know, sometimes it is best to leave things for Nature to take care of."

 

"That's true, you know," Daryl grunts through a mouthful of pie. Judith brightens a little at that, and Rick gives Daryl a warm, grateful look. Daryl blushes and concentrates back on his dessert, and they eat in peace for a few minutes, before Carl lays his fork down and pushes his chair away from the table.

 

"It's been great, you guys," he says, picking up his plate and heading toward the kitchen sink. "But I got stuff to do."

 

"Carl," Rick says, but his son is already escaping down the hallway. He sighs and gets up with his and Daryl's dishes and leans against the sink. "I guess he can do the dishes tomorrow. They're not too bad."

 

Daryl looks over at Judith, who looks even more down, her chin resting in her hands, elbows on the table. "I was gonna help him," she mutters, muffled by her hands.

 

"You were gonna get into a splash fight with him and ruin your clean clothes," Rick amends as he's wrapping the leftovers.

 

Daryl leans in towards Judy like he's sharing a secret. " _You_ get to watch a movie with me and your dad," he says, like it's the most exciting thing in the world. "And _he_ doesn't." Quickly, he turns back to Rick. "It is a movie a kid can watch, right?"

 

"Oh, yeah, sure," Rick replies absentmindedly as he's searching for a spot in the fridge to put the large lasagna dish. His lips are set in a thin line, and it's not just from concentration.

 

Daryl chews his lip and stands up. He covers the pie with tin foil and hands it to Rick so he can put it in the fridge. "Hey, it's okay," he says. "He's probably seen it a million times."

 

Rick nods, looking up at him from his crouching position. "It's been tough for him lately." He stands up, straightening his shirt and picking up a dirty stirring spoon and distractedly tapping it against the rim of the pot.

 

"That's 'cause of me," Daryl says, examining his fingernails.

 

"No," Rick says, dropping the spoon. "Believe me, it's not. Not all the way anyway."

 

Daryl frowns but doesn't say anything, instead pushes himself away from the counter and goes over to Judith. "C'mon, Scooter," he says, holding his hand out for her, which she takes, bouncing out of her seat and dragging him to the living room.

 

Rick smiles and heads to his bedroom to grab his DVD, returning to see Judith wrapped up in her blanket on the couch and leaning against the armrest, with Daryl taking the other side, leaving Rick the middle. Rick puts the movie in and joins them, sitting close to Daryl and nudging his foot with his own where they are propped up on the coffee table. Judith crawls over to worm her way underneath Rick's arm and he pulls her close as he starts the movie.

 

Judith is fast asleep by the time Shelby and Jackson's wedding is over, and Daryl is trying not to wake her up, shaking from holding in his laughter at the hideous armadillo cake.

 

"Clairee really tells it like it is, huh?" he comments, fully into the movie now.

 

Rick nods sagely. "She's my favorite."

 

"Really? I like the Dolly Parton one. She's..." he trails off, searching for a suitable word, "...I dunno...."

 

"Irrepressible?" Rick supplies.

 

"Yeah," Daryl says, sinking a little further down into the couch, and into Rick's side. "So all gay men are named Mark, Rick, or Steve, eh?" he teases.

 

Rick elbows him. "I _don't_ have track lighting."

 

Daryl just grunts like "yeah, sure" and they fall silent again, until Daryl mutters " _Shit_ ," under his breath at the sight of Shelby's gruesome, dialysis-enlarged wrist veins. Rick flinches, glancing down at Judith before remembering she's sound asleep, then hugs Daryl a little closer all throughout the rest of the movie. It ends on a happy note, and Daryl sighs contentedly, dislodging himself slightly from Rick and Judith so he can stretch his arms out to his sides.

 

"Well," he says, "that was emotionally exhausting."

 

Rick breathes a laugh, scooting to the edge of the couch. "Every time, man." He gets up, groaning a little embarrassingly as his stiff joints reluctantly loosen. He picks up Judith's dead weight and carries her to her room, noting the time on the clock at the end of the hallway. It's past ten and Rick wonders about Daryl, who usually has to go to work quite early in the morning, though he doesn't seem to be in any hurry to get off the couch when Rick comes back to him.

 

Rick plops down next to him heavily, getting an annoyed grunt from him when he bounces a little. "You gotta work tomorrow?" he asks neutrally.

 

Daryl retreats into himself a little. "Yeah." He sighs heavily. "I should probably, uh..." He gestures lamely towards the door.

 

Rick hums and brushes a piece of hair from Daryl's eye. "Up to you."

 

Daryl looks sidelong at him. "I dunno. I kinda wanted... I mean, if-" he cut himself off with a groan. " _Fuck_."

 

"Stay," Rick says gently.

 

Daryl meets his eyes briefly before nodding, his cheeks going pink. "Uh," he begins, with a nervous chuckle, "whenever you're ready."

 

Rick grins and dives in for a kiss before practically hopping off the couch. "I just have to make sure Carl went to bed. If you want, I got some pajamas, shirts, stuff like that that you can borrow."

 

Daryl eases into a standing position slowly, looking painfully awkward. "Uh, thanks," he muttered. "I might have to take a piss first, though."

 

Rick shrugs, smiling. "Meet you there, then?"

 

"Yeah."

 

And with that, Rick goes to check on Carl, just peering into his room to make sure the tell-tale glow of the computer is absent, and then heads to his room, changing quickly for bed as Daryl gets out of the bathroom. Rick fishes out a pair of sleep pants and an old t-shirt and gives them to Daryl, who changes in the bathroom as Rick turns off the light, switches on the lamp and gets under the covers.

 

"Hey, next time?" Rick says, raising his voice so Daryl can hear him through the door, "Bring all your work clothes and stuff, okay?"

 

Daryl comes out wearing Rick's clothes and looking sheepishly at the floor. "Next time?" he says, raising an eyebrow and making his way slowly to the bed. He sits on the edge of it and Rick sits up to scoot closer to him, reaching over to brush his hair away from his neck and stroke his back gently.

 

"Whenever," Rick assures him softly.

 

Daryl sighs and quickly crawls under the blanket like he's just trying to get it over with. Rick lies down to face him after switching off the lamp. "I have a pretty decent collection of DVD's, you know," he tells him, smirking.

 

Daryl snorts. "Oh yeah?"

 

"Mm-hmm. _Fried Green Tomatoes_ , _Sordid Lives_ , every season of _Designing Women_."

"I don't know what the hell _any_ of those are."

 

Rick feigns shock. "You call yourself a Southern gay man?"

 

Daryl blushes and pulls the blanket in closer. " _No_ ," he says pointedly. " _You_ don't either."

 

"True." They fall silent and Rick reaches slowly for Daryl's neck to pull him in for a goodnight kiss. "Wake me up early tomorrow morning. _Golden Girls_ marathon starts at five."

 

Daryl gives a sleepy chuckle. "I'll be up," he assures. "I might even have coffee ready."

 

Rick pulls him in and kisses him again, this time on the forehead. "I might have to keep you around," he whispers fondly, and they fall asleep like that, closer than ever.


End file.
